Ok Guys And Gals

[IamGibby]

Ok.. After a few days of browsing, i finally placed an order for a 50 gal tank, not a 100 like I've said before. =)

Well, The 50 gal tank we be delivered in a week, so i need to start deciding what to place in it. Im a big fan of the Erpetoichthys calabaricus (ropefish) but don't know much about them. I have read so far that they like to be in groups of the same kind.

Anyone offering ideas of what to place in the tank ie: sand vs gravel, Large rocks, live/fake plants, etc, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Another question for anyone with Reedfish or knowledge of them, would a 50gal tank be good enough for 2? and could i get them friends in the tank, or would 2 ropefish be pushing it? if so, what do you recommend for company with them?

Thanks alot for your time and words.

Chris

 

[Betta91]

Here's what I like to see in an aquarium:

* About a one inch deep gravel depth of small gravel
* Some bogwood or rock of some kind
* Live Plants...if your new to fishkeeping, I would recommend starting out with plastic plants.

 

[Jozlyn]

Live plants are always better than fake and even if you are new to fish you can't go far wrong with Elodea, Java Fern, Valesneria (can't remember how to spell that one), Pennywort and Java moss. They're all extremely easy to grow and hardy ie. hard to kill! All they need is a decent amount of light, I don't even fertilize mine (I have all of the plants listed) and they're all growing like crazy and I have only what is considered very low light, (I think I've got 1 watt per gallon) and they're thriving. Lots of fish like to graze on plants too, so it's good for their diet. Have a look at the pinned topics on aquarium plants in the pinned topics in the "Planted Forum" you'll get loads of really useful information there, I know, because I did!

As for your choice of substrate I have a personal preferance for gravel because it's much easier to vacuum than sand (and it was free), but apparently once you get your hover height right with the sand it's apparently just as easy.

More importantly it depends on the type of fish you choose, some fish must have sand as gravel harms them. After you've decided which fish you like, do lots of research on them and you'll soon find out what the most suitable substrate is to use.

As for large rocks, drift wood etc those choices are again based on the fish you choose and your own taste. If you have a catfish for example you need drift wood for it to rasp on and a suitable rock or pot for it to use for a cave etc, etc, etc.

The best idea is to start with the fish you like, research them, find out if they're compatible tank mates, what their needs are and then work out your tank needs to keep them happiest. It's all back to front - given that you buy your substrate and ornaments etc first and your fish last - but if you have a plan before you start you wont end up wasting a heap of money on inappropriate fish and ornaments.

Good luck

 

[Tessla]

I'm the opposite of Jozlyn and Betta91, used to use gravel for everything but I like sand much better. I find it much easier to keep clean as the waste sits on top rather than falling in between cracks in the gravel. I'm also a big fan of loaches, corydoras and various other bottom dwellers that prefer sand to gravel. For a big fish with a talent for aquascaping like an oscar, I'd still go with gravel to prevent sand in the filter. Whichever way you do choose to go, pea gravel and play sand can both be picked up at the hardware store in big bags for a couple of dollars, pounds or whatever your currency happens to be. Same thing for rocks and terracotta flowerpots, just do a vinegar test on any rocks (including gravel) that you plan to add to your tank and don't use anything that reacts. Oh, and wash everything well in a big bucket.

Live plants are nice so long as you don't take a liking to herbivores or aquascapers that will pull them out. Jozlyn suggested some good ones that take very little effort to grow. I'd add anubias to that list and mention that anubias and java fern rarely get munched on by anything, and elodea/anacharis grows so fast that even if it does get munched on you shouldn't have any trouble with it.

I have no idea how to properly care for ropefish, just that they're escape artists and prefer to have friends of their own species. There are quite a few owners that frequent the oddballs forum, I'm sure you can get some good answers there.